Immunization month activities, resources

• Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

August is back-to-school time, which means well-child visits to catch up on immunizations. It’s also National Immunization Awareness Month, a campaign co-sponsored by the Academy.

Each week features an important focus: A Healthy Start (Aug. 3-9); Back to School (Aug. 10-16); Off to the Future (Aug. 17-23); and Not Just for Kids (Aug. 24-30).

Back to school is a prime time to zero in on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and other adolescent immunizations. AAP resources are available for clinicians, including information on HPV vaccine safety, talking to parents of adolescents about HPV and a recorded webinar, You are the Key to Cancer Prevention, http://bit.ly/1so0SLM.

Educational modules on seasonal influenza vaccination and office strategies for improving vaccination rates also are available from the Academy at http://www2.aap.org/immunization/about/niam.html. The National Public Health Information Coalition website offers additional tools and resources, www.nphic.org/niam.